Ionic liquid catalysts may be used to catalyze a variety of chemical reactions, for example the oligomerization of alpha olefins to produce polyalphaolefins (PAO). A polyalphaolefin is a synthetic hydrocarbon liquid that is typically manufactured from the oligomerization of C6 to C20 alpha olefins. Polyalphaolefins are used in various industries as lubricants in gear oils, greases, engine oils, fiber optic gels, transmission oils, and various other lubricant applications. Ionic liquid catalysts used to produce PAO can be quite costly. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method to increase the activity of an ionic liquid catalyst, for example to reduce the amount of required catalyst and still maintain the desired conversion, thereby improving economics of a process.